The Federal Government on Monday unveiled a digital portal to simplify teachers’ registration, licensing, and professional development as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s education system.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, who launched the initiative in Abuja alongside the Strategic Vision for Nigerian Teachers, said the reform was aimed at repositioning education and restoring dignity to the teaching profession.
“No nation can rise above the quality of its teachers,” he said, adding that the portal would serve as a one-stop platform for registration, certification, renewal, exam scheduling, professional development tracking, and a national teacher database.
The minister also announced the rollout of a Teacher Ethics and Criminal Record Verification Framework, which makes background checks compulsory for teachers in both public and private schools. “This is not punitive; it is protective. It is about safeguarding our children and upholding the moral integrity of our classrooms,” he said.
Registrar of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Dr Ronke Soyombo, said the portal is part of her 100-day action plan to digitise the council’s operations and end delays in certification. Teachers, she explained, can now register, access results, and print certificates online, while results of the Professional Qualifying Examination (PQE) will be released within a week under a new service-level agreement.
She added that the PQE curriculum has been streamlined from 23 subjects to five core areas — mathematics, literacy, digital literacy, safeguarding, and pedagogy — while an AI-powered lesson plan generator will be launched in October to make classrooms more engaging.
Stakeholders welcomed the reform. Chikodi Onyemerela of the British Council called it “a milestone in transforming Nigeria’s education system,” while Ian Attfield of the British High Commission said it would boost teacher motivation and performance.
Mohammed Isa, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, urged that the platform include accessibility tools such as screen readers, sign language, and digital braille to align with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Chief Executive Officer of TeckPlus Digital Solutions, Dr Patrick Adeleye, whose company developed the platform, said it was designed to improve teacher data management under the Education Management Information System (EMIS) agenda.
“Before now, we did not have accurate figures on the number of teachers in Nigeria, how many were certified, or even qualified to be in the classroom. This affected overall learning outcomes,” he said.
The initiative is expected to increase the number of TRCN-certified teachers by 50 per cent, strengthen child protection, and bring Nigeria’s education sector closer to global standards.
